Questions to Ask at the Zoo
These questions are for the adult leading a zoo day, whether that is a parent with two kids or a teacher with a class and a few chaperones. They run in the order of the visit: questions for the children on the way in, at each enclosure and between stops, then questions the family or class can put to a zookeeper or docent about feeding, training, health and how the species is faring in the wild, and a last few for the ride home. The keeper questions are kept short enough for a child to ask out loud.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
On the Way In
Which animal do you most want to see today, and what do you think it will be doing when we get there?
Why ask it
The guess is what matters. A child who has said 'sleeping' or 'eating' walks up to the enclosure with something to check, so remember the guesses and head for that animal early, while everyone still has legs.
What do you already know about the animal you most want to see, and how did you find it out?
Why ask it
'From a cartoon' and 'from a book at school' are both fair answers, and the second half quietly sorts facts from stories without you correcting anyone. Pick one claim and test it against the sign when you arrive.
If we could only visit three animals today, which three would you pick?
Why ask it
Their three become your route. With a class, take a show of hands for each area of the map and call the losers the 'if there is time' list, which settles the mid-afternoon argument before it starts.
Which animal do you think will be the loudest, and which will be the smelliest?
Why ask it
Silly enough for a four-year-old, and it switches on ears and noses before you are through the gate. Hold a vote at the end of the day; the wrong guesses are usually the ones retold at dinner.
What rules do you think the zoo has for visitors, and who is each one protecting?
Why ask it
Children guess most of them unprompted: no feeding, no tapping on the glass, no climbing the rail. For each, ask whether it looks after the animal, the visitor or both, then read the zoo's own list at the gate or on the map, since it is not the same everywhere.
Look Closely
What is the animal doing right now?
Why ask it
Ask it first at every stop and hold out for a verb: chewing, scratching, pacing, watching the door. 'Nothing' nearly always means nobody has looked for ten seconds yet.
How many can you count, and is one of them hiding?
Why ask it
Counting pins a group to the rail that was about to move on, and the hunt for the one behind the log can fill three minutes. If an animal cannot be found, ask where the children would hide if they lived in there.
How does it get around, and what do its feet look built for?
Why ask it
Let small children show you with their own arms and legs if there is room. Feet get skipped and they give a lot away: gripping, digging, paddling, running on hard ground. A tail that holds on or a pair of flippers counts too, and each one hints at the kind of place the animal's wild relatives live.
Which do you think it relies on most to know what is going on: its eyes, its ears or its nose?
Why ask it
Send them looking for evidence: ears that swivel one at a time, a nose or tongue testing the air, eyes set on the front of the head or out at the sides. Then watch which sense reacts first when a cart rattles past or the keeper's door opens.
What colors and patterns can you see, and would they help it hide or help it get noticed?
Why ask it
Have the children picture the animal in tall grass, snow or forest shade instead of against a painted wall. Bright animals split the group, and whether it is showing off or sending a warning is a fine thing to carry to the sign.
What can you hear coming from this enclosure?
Why ask it
Ask everyone to shut their eyes for ten seconds. Often the answer is breathing, chewing or silence, which surprises children who expected a roar, and it lowers the group's own volume without anyone being scolded.
Where in the enclosure does it spend its time, and why do you think it chose that spot?
Why ask it
Shade, height, warmth, the corner farthest from the glass, the door the food comes through: let them argue it out before you offer a view. Walk past again later in the day and see whether the favorite spot has changed.
What has the zoo put in here for the animal to climb, dig into, hide behind or play with?
Why ask it
Ropes, logs, pools, hanging feeders and cardboard boxes are there on purpose, and zoo staff call it enrichment. Once children have the word they find examples all day, and it gives them a ready question for a keeper.
Is the animal paying any attention to us?
Why ask it
Mostly it is not, and that disappoints children who hoped for a greeting. Use the moment to talk about quiet voices and hands off the glass as fairness to an animal that cannot leave, which lands better than reciting the rules.
What does the sign tell us that we could not have worked out by looking?
Why ask it
This sends readers to the sign with a job: the map, the diet, how the species is doing in the wild. For children who cannot read yet, read out one line and ask whether what they see in front of them agrees with it.
If we watch for one whole minute, what changes?
Why ask it
Time it on a phone. Sixty seconds feels long at the rail, and it is when the ear flick, the yawn and the glance toward the keeper door turn up. Staying put is the skill being practiced here, more than any fact.
Compare and Wonder
How is this animal like the last one we saw, and how is it different?
Why ask it
It works best between two animals that share something, such as two cats, two birds or two animals with hooves. Ask for one likeness and one difference each, and take the difference nobody else has said.
How is it like you, and what can it do that you cannot?
Why ask it
Hands, eyes facing forward and a mother carrying a baby come up quickly at the primates. The second half keeps it from becoming a list of ways people are better, since most children would trade a lot to swing, dive or see in the dark.
Does it remind you of a pet or an animal that lives near our home?
Why ask it
A tiger washing its face like a house cat is an easy way in for a nervous or bored child. Follow by asking what would go wrong if it lived in your home, which answers 'can we get one' before it is asked.
What do you think it eats, and what about its body gives you the clue?
Why ask it
Teeth, beak shape and claws are the evidence to point at, and a yawn is the moment to look. A wrong guess with a reason attached is worth more than a right one without, so praise the reasoning and then check the sign together.
Where in the world do its wild relatives live, and what would the weather be like there?
Why ask it
Find the map on the sign, then compare that climate with today's. The gap between the two is a natural question for staff: what this zoo does for a desert animal in winter or a cold-climate one in a heat wave.
Why do you think it has that trunk, that tail or those stripes?
Why ask it
Swap in whatever feature is in front of you and hear every theory before giving one. Some of these puzzles are still argued over by scientists, so 'nobody is sure yet' is an honest reply and a good one for a child to hear.
If this animal could talk, what would it say about its day so far?
Why ask it
The playful one for the youngest. Listen to what the invented speech reveals: 'I'm hot' or 'that bird keeps taking my food' means the child noticed something real. Ask older children what they saw that made them think so.
If you had to live in this habitat for a day, what would be the hardest part for you?
Why ask it
Children land on the basics unprompted: finding food, keeping warm or cool, staying out of something's way. From there it is a short step to asking how the animal manages each of those, and which ones the zoo takes care of for it.
What would you ask this animal's keeper if they walked past right now?
Why ask it
Type the answers into a phone or onto the clipboard, with the child's name next to each. When you reach a keeper talk, the child who thought of the question is the one who gets to ask it.
Ask a Keeper
Does this one have a name, and how do you tell them apart?
Why ask it
The easiest opener for a shy child to say out loud. Keepers tend to point to a torn ear, a darker face or a crooked tail, and from then on the group is watching individuals instead of 'the giraffes'.
Which animal here is your favorite to look after, and why?
Why ask it
It is not always the one the crowds come for. The answer tends to be an individual with a habit, the one that sulks when breakfast is late or waits at the door, and it hands a shy child an easy second question: what does it do when it sees you coming?
What does it eat in a day, and how do you make it work for its food?
Why ask it
The first half usually gets a menu with amounts, which children enjoy more than adults expect. The second half brings out scattered food, puzzle feeders and frozen treats, and explains the odd objects they spotted in the enclosure.
What is the first thing you do when you arrive in the morning?
Why ask it
Routines differ from zoo to zoo, but the answer often starts with finding and looking over every animal before anything else. Any child who has announced they want to be a zookeeper should also hear how much of the day is cleaning.
How can you tell what mood it is in?
Why ask it
What children mean is 'is it happy', and put this way the keeper has something to show instead of a yes or no. They will usually name what to watch on this species, such as the ears, the tail, a posture or a particular call, so spend the next minute at the rail looking for it.
How can you tell when one of them is not feeling well?
Why ask it
Expect small signs in the answer: food left behind, an animal sitting apart, a change in what is on the floor in the morning. It shows children that the job is mostly noticing, the same thing they have been practicing at each stop.
Do you train them, and what is the training for?
Why ask it
Children picture tricks. Keepers will often describe an animal stepping onto a scale, holding out a foot or opening its mouth so it can be checked, and why that matters for its care. Ask how it is done at this zoo and whether you can watch a session.
Do you ever go in with them, and how do you stay safe?
Why ask it
Every child wants to know and few dare ask. With some species keepers work only through a barrier and with others they walk in, and the rule depends on the animal and on the zoo, so let the keeper explain theirs. It is also the best answer to why visitors stay behind the rail.
Which one is in charge, and how could we spot it?
Why ask it
A keeper can tell you who eats first, who gives way and who starts the trouble. Stay five minutes after the talk and see whether the group can catch it happening, since watching for a specific thing holds attention far longer than watching in general.
Where do they go at night, and what happens when the weather turns bad?
Why ask it
This fills in the part of the zoo nobody sees: indoor dens, heated houses, sleeping areas behind the scenes. Ask whether the animals can choose to be in or out during the day, which tells you why an enclosure sometimes looks empty.
What do visitors usually get wrong about this animal?
Why ask it
A yawn, a grin or an animal walking the same line can mean something quite different from what it looks like, and so can a 'fact' picked up from a cartoon. Have the children pass the correction on, kindly, to the next adult who gets it wrong.
How old is this one, and how long does its kind usually live?
Why ask it
Ask for both numbers. Children measure the first against their own age and a grandparent's, and an older animal often leads to softer food, ramps or medicine hidden in a treat. If the keeper mentions an animal that died, follow their lead on how much to say.
Was it born here, and if not, where did it come from?
Why ask it
Another zoo, a breeding program or a rescue are all possible, and it differs by animal and by zoo, so ask instead of assuming. The reply often leads straight to how the species is doing in the wild, so have that question ready to follow it.
Are there any babies or new arrivals at the zoo right now?
Why ask it
Worth asking at the first talk of the day, because the answer can redraw your route. Young animals are sometimes kept off view at first, so ask whether this one can be seen yet and at what time of day it tends to be out.
What about this animal still surprises you?
Why ask it
A strong closer for a talk because the keeper gets to tell a story instead of reciting facts. It also shows children that someone who has done the job for years is still finding things out.
How did you become a zookeeper?
Why ask it
For older children and teenagers. Degrees, volunteering and apprenticeships count differently depending on the country and the zoo, so ask what this keeper did and what this zoo looks for now. Keep it for the end if younger children are still waiting with theirs.
Conservation
How is this animal doing in the wild?
Why ask it
Many signs carry a conservation status, and a docent can explain what the label means and who decides it. For small children, 'are there lots left or not many' is the same question at the right size.
What is the biggest danger to it, and does anything people do around here play a part?
Why ask it
Lost habitat, hunting, the pet trade and a changing climate are the usual answers. The second half stops the problem from sounding like something that happens only far away, and it tends to produce the one fact children repeat at home.
What would change in its wild home if this animal disappeared?
Why ask it
The reply is usually a chain: what it eats, what eats it, the seeds it carries or the burrows something else moves into. Have the children say the chain back in order, since that is what turns 'endangered' from a word on a sign into something they can picture.
Does this zoo do any work for this species outside its own gates?
Why ask it
Zoos vary a great deal here. Listen for something specific, such as a named project, a place or a partner group, and look it up together afterward. A vague answer is a fair thing for an older student to notice.
Are these animals part of a breeding program, and who decides which ones have babies?
Why ask it
Children are often surprised that zoos may share animals and that a match can be planned across several of them. The programs go by different names in different regions, so ask how it works for this species here.
Will any animal born here ever live in the wild?
Why ask it
Children assume yes, and the honest reply is often 'not these ones', with reasons worth hearing about skills and safe places to go. If someone wants to debate whether zoos should exist, promise that discussion for the classroom or the car and keep it there.
What is one thing a kid could do that would help this animal?
Why ask it
Ask for one thing and ask for it to be specific. Then do it within the week, as a family or a class, while the trip is fresh, because a pledge made at the rail fades quickly.
On the Way Home
Which animal surprised you most, and what did it do?
Why ask it
Asking what it did pulls out a moment the child saw, not a fact from a sign. Give your own first if the car is quiet, and choose something small, like the tortoise that turned out to be quick at feeding time.
What did you guess this morning that turned out wrong?
Why ask it
Go back to the predictions made on the way in. Being wrong and saying so cheerfully is the habit worth building, so own up to one of yours before asking for theirs.
What is one thing you learned today that you could teach someone who was not there?
Why ask it
Name the person, a grandparent or a younger sibling, and make the call or have the chat tonight. For a class it becomes tomorrow's journal line, and the retelling is what makes the fact stay.
If you could design a new home for one animal we saw, what would you put in it?
Why ask it
Hand over paper and pencils in the back seat or back in the classroom. Notice whether the drawing is built for the animal or for the people looking in; both are reasonable, and pointing out the difference starts a good conversation.
What question do you still have that nobody answered?
Why ask it
Write it down before it is lost. Look it up together, or send it to the zoo's education team if they take questions, and ask it in person on the next visit if the answer never comes.
Running the questions on a zoo day
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you reach the gate
Look up the talk times first
Keeper talks, feeds and docent stations run to a timetable that changes with the season and sometimes the weather. Check the zoo's website the night before or ask at the entrance, choose two, and plan the walking around them. The Ask a Keeper and Conservation groups only work if someone is there to answer.
Choose fewer animals than you think
Six enclosures looked at properly give children more to talk about than twenty walked past. Use the three-animals question on the way in to set the list, add the two talks, and treat everything else as a bonus.
Carry three questions per stop
Nobody wants to be asked eleven things in front of a sleeping lion. At each enclosure open with what the animal is doing, add one more from Look Closely and one from Compare and Wonder, then move on while the group is still interested.
On a field trip, brief the chaperones
Give each adult a card with five or six questions and the two talk times. Hand out jobs inside each small group as well: a counter, a sign reader, a timekeeper for the one-minute watch and a keeper of the questions list. Children with a role wander off less.
Standing at the rail
Ask, then stop talking
Give the question and count to ten in your head. The first reply is usually from the fastest child, so ask 'what else?' before you respond to it. If you fill the gap with the answer yourself, the group learns to wait for you.
When the animal is asleep or out of sight
A sleeping animal still has feet, a coat, a chosen spot and a breathing rate to count. An empty enclosure still has enrichment to find and a sign to read. If neither holds the group, note the time and come back near a feed.
Matching the question to the age
Under about five: counting, colors, sounds and copying how it moves. Six to nine: the comparing questions and the food clues. Ten and up: the sign, the map, the predictions and the conservation group, with the child doing the asking at the talk.
When you do not know
Say so. 'I have no idea, where could we find out?' is better teaching than a confident guess, and it sends the question to the sign first and the keeper second. Add it to the list on your phone so it is not forgotten by the next enclosure.
Getting the most from a keeper talk
Rehearse on the walk over
Have each child who wants a turn say their question aloud once before you arrive. A question practiced in a normal voice comes out in a crowd; one that exists only in a child's head tends to vanish when the keeper points at them.
Wait for the opening
During a feed or a training session the keeper is watching the animal, not the audience. Most talks leave time at the end, and that is when hands should go up. If the keeper is carrying buckets or working a gate, let them finish.
Ask about this animal
'What do lions eat?' is on the sign. 'What did this lion have for breakfast?' gets a story, a name and often a detail about a fussy eater. Point the children's questions at the individual in front of them whenever you can.
If there is no talk today
Look for volunteers at touch tables and carts, staff in the education building, or a keeper who stops at the rail between jobs and seems willing. The information desk can usually tell you where someone will be. One good answer from a person changes how children read every sign after it.
Hard subjects
Children ask where an animal went, whether it is sad, and why it cannot go home. Let the keeper answer in their own way, then check quietly with a younger child that the answer made sense to them. Bigger arguments about keeping animals in zoos belong in a conversation later, with time to hear both sides.
What gets in the way
The quiz voice
If every question has an answer you already hold, children stop looking at the animal and start watching your face. Keep most of your asking to things nobody could know without looking, and accept the reply you did not expect.
The worksheet takes over
A clipboard with thirty blanks sends a class from sign to sign with their heads down. If the school requires one, cut it to a handful of items that can only be done by watching, such as a sketch of a foot or a tally of what one animal did in a minute.
Explaining before they have looked
Reading the sign aloud on arrival closes the enclosure down. Let the group guess what it eats or where it is from, and bring the sign in afterward to settle it.
Tired legs
Questions stop working when children are hungry or worn out. Put the animals they chose and the first talk before lunch, save the On the Way Home group for the ride, and leave while they still have something to say.